Toxic sofas lead to payouts
Over one thousand people who suffered personal injuries after they bought 'toxic' sofas, are set to receive £20 million in compensation, the High Court ruled.
More than 1,500 victims are expected to receive between £1,175 and £9,000 each, as part of what is believed to be the largest consumer group litigation in British legal history.
Mr Justice MacDuff was told yesterday that an agreement had been reached by lawyers to pave the way for the compensation claim payouts to some of those who suffered personal injury, such as serious burns, eye problems and breathing difficulties.
Sofa contained dangerous chemical
The sofas, manufactured in China, contained the antifungal chemical DMF - dimethyl fumarate - which stops the furniture from going mouldy during storage in Asia. The product has now been banned in the EU.
It is estimated that 100,000 leather suites containing this chemical were sold in Britain. However, so far there has been no national recall by trading standards officials.
The High Court was told yesterday that major retail firms and some smaller companies have admitted liability for their customers' injuries and have agreed to pay the compensations claims to the injured parties.
Retailers admit liability
Last month the court ruled that about 350 victims who bought their furniture from a now-dissolved consumer business, would not be eligible for a payout.
However, now a 'claims handling agreement' has been reached that could benefit between 1,500 and 2,000 claimants, although it relates only to 'non-severe' cases.
Legal action continues in 3,000 more severe cases where public liability remains in dispute.
Speaking after the hearing, Richard Langton, the senior litigation partner at the law group who led the case litigation against the retailers, said: "Many suffered serious health problems simply because of the new sofa they chose.
"At the start there was a real fear factor, as nobody knew the cause. The doctors took nine months to identify the chemical. Some people thought they had skin cancer or were dying. We believe many sofas are still in use with DMF in them."
Warnings for making the claim
He said that many of the victims are not celebrating their win: "They just wish they had not had to suffer the worry and stress in the first place."
Mr Langton did however warn that "anyone who has not registered a claim yet, should seek help as time is running out to bring a claim."
A teaching assistant from Torpoint, Cornwall, was one of the people affected by the sofas.
The woman developed a rash all over her body that soon turned into weeping sores. Despite numerous visits to her GP and hospital, there were no clues as to what caused the suffering.
She explained: "Every evening I was sat on the chair watching TV and then going to bed and waking up at 3am and my skin was burning. The only way I could stop it was to sit in a freezing cold shower."
"When we found out it was the sofa which was causing this, I took it straight out of the front room. I stopped sitting on it and then my skin just started to heal. Within a week or so it was much better," she said.
The legal battle continues for those with severe injuries.Updated on 4/27/2010